KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) \u2014 Malaysia\u2019s government said Friday it will take legal action against Facebook\u2019s parent company, Meta Platforms, for failing to remove undesirable and harmful content from its social media platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission said Facebook has recently been plagued by a \u201ca significant volume of undesirable content\u201d relating to sensitive issues on race, religion and royalty as well as defamation, impersonation, online gambling and scam advertisements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commission said repeated efforts to reach out to Meta to remove harmful content were of no avail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeta\u2019s response, which has been sluggish and unsatisfactory, has not met the urgency of the matter and has led to increasing public concern and scrutiny,\u201d it said in a statement. \u201cAs there is no sufficient cooperation from Meta, MCMC has no option but to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta as a measure to ensure that people are secure and protected in the physical sphere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commission said it will not tolerate abuse of online platforms and telecommunications services for \u201cmalicious cyber activities, phishing, or any content that threatens racial stability, social harmony and defies respect for the rulers.\u201d Malaysia has nine ethnic Malay state rulers, whose role is largely ceremonial but held in esteem among the country\u2019s Malay majority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this month, the government warned of action against Telegram after it refused to cooperate over complaints regarding content and misuse of the app, including the sale of pornographic materials, drugs and investment scams. Officials were quoted by local media as saying Telegram scams have cost Malaysians some 45 million ringgit ($9.6 million) since January 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Telegram initially said it wouldn\u2019t participate in \u201cany form of political censorship\u201d but later agreed to work with local authorities to curb illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The action against online platforms coincides with six crucial state elections that must be held no later than the end of August. While state polls do not affect the federal government, they are closely watched as they will be the first test of public support for\u00a0Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim\u00a0\u2019s unity government that was formed after a fractious general election in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anwar faces strong opposition from the Islamic-dominated National Alliance, which got unexpectedly strong support from Malays in the November election. The National Alliance is hoping for another big showing in the six state elections and has been aggressively using social media to slam Anwar\u2019s government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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